"Well, if not, then the rest of you can run I guess."He stood in front of the advancing... dwarf? Let's call him one until proven wrong.Not much f a diplomat, Gideon at least gave his best shot:"So, we couldn't but notice that your place is somewhat... bereft of occupancy, and as we need some metal to survive and build up, we decided to have a look, and either ask for some, or borrow..."

Logged

"Captain, the buttocks are moving from the pink into the red and purple spectrum! We cannot maintain this rate of spanking any longer!"

Jhoric winced a little as the Dwarf brought the hammer back. This might hurt, he thought. He knew Gideon could take at least one hit from that hammer. The Half-Ogre was unsurprisingly durable. Still, Jhoric moved into position and prepared to blast if Gideon was harmed.

"A trial, of what? If this turns out to be a test of strength then we shall prevail. If it is a test of our wits, then maybe we need more insight into this strange encounter. Either way, I will be ready for the consequences" With that Fafnir moved around the creature in order to flank it and perhaps give Gideon an edge. This way he would let his sturdier half-ogre friend take the hammer blow, then move in to strike.

Logged

Those who walk the shadows, tread a very narrow path between darkness and light. This path will reveal all.

Toboran sighed with the tone of long-suffering and pulled himself around to the flank opposite Fafnir. He could stab the thing in the back, and maybe it would fall back to the death that it had. Then they could get the boat back to Respite. Maybe.

Logged

"And how can man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers, or the temples of his gods."

The dwarf observed the others moving to flank it with an apparent expression of .. disappointment.

With a barely observable shrug, he stepped within Gideon's sword reach, and cried loudly "Yetasch!!!!"

With that he brought his hammer down in a thunderous blow straight into Gideon's shield. Though well built, fragments of shield went flying and Gideon felt the shock on his arm even through his armor.

The shield held, but barely.

A moment later, a second blast from Balin's want struck home, but seemed to flow off the creature. Jhorics energy blast quickly followed and this blast staggered the dwarf back slightly. Jhoric caught the creatures gaze and felt a chill of hatred.

Fafnir stepped up lashed out with his scimitar, striking the creature with his enchanted blade. The blade bit deep, carving a hole in the dwarf's armor and causing it to swear an oath, but Fafnir was stunned by a wave of cold that encrusted his blade in frost and bit at his hand.

Shortly therafter, Toboran also stepped in with his spear, stabbing at the creature's exposed flank. He too stuck home, and a mighty strike it was (nat 20!), for it pierced the dwarf through - the point emerging where Gideon could see it. The spear too, was suddenly encased in frost and Toboran also had his hands seared by the cold.

"You're so going to get it, dwarf-thing! Jhoric! Ask your brainy friends whether they have any big-mouthed ideas now!"Gideon took his hammer by the sturdy leather strap on the handle, and smashed the dwaf with it like he would with a flail."You think you're cool? Not!"

Logged

"Captain, the buttocks are moving from the pink into the red and purple spectrum! We cannot maintain this rate of spanking any longer!"

"d**n heads, you think you could speak up now and let us know what is going on?" Jhoric spoke to the heads dangling from his hand. He didn't like the way the dead dwarf looked at him, but kept up the barrage of energy blasts irregardless.

Taking advantage of the skeleton's temporary loss of balance, Fafnir lashed out with his scimitar. "Obvious! I think that it is obvioussss what we should do with these heads when we bring this beast down!"

Logged

Those who walk the shadows, tread a very narrow path between darkness and light. This path will reveal all.

"I don't doubt that this thing was in the middle of that chilling when it woke up to scuffle with us. We might as well return it to its duties." Toboran tried to bash with the shaft of his spear instead of just stabbing between the living bones.

Logged

"And how can man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers, or the temples of his gods."

The dwarf, surrounded by enemies, continued to press its attack against Gideon, swinging down his hammer solidly unto Gideons leg, ringing the armor like a bell.

Jhoirc's energy blast again slammed home, and the energy enshrouded the dwarf for a moment, giving the appearance of being immolated by purple fire. While the flames petered out, Fafnir lashed in again with his frosted scimitar. Numbed by the cold, his blade barely touched the dwarf before slipping from his hand and skittering across the floor.

Toboran rushed in, the flames now gone, and grabbed his frosted spear to wrest it from the dwarven ribcage, but a last moment turn had him miss his mark and he ended up going past the Dwarf. Taking advantage of Toboran's difficulty, the dwarf extended a bony foot and attempted to trip him. Toboran's luck improved, for he managed to avoid it.

Gideon swung his hammer in a massive uppercut, and struck home hard. The breastplate buckled with the impact and numerous ribs rained down as the dwarf staggered back, a spectral gaze locked on Gideon.

Fafnir was scrambling to retrieve his scimitar before the creature could turn and face him. Knowing that his hands wouldn't warm up on their own he gripped the blade more tightly and attempted to get into a more favorable combat postion.

Logged

Those who walk the shadows, tread a very narrow path between darkness and light. This path will reveal all.

As Fafnir reached for his blade, the Dwarf brought his hammer around and struck the lizard-man, knocking him closer to his sword. On his backswing he struck out again towards Gideon, and it glanced off his armor. Another blast from Jhoric blew by, passing above the dwarf's head and dissipating into the darkness. Fafnir, somewhat dazed, brought his retrieved blade up and looked for an opening.

Toboran lunged for his spear again, grabbed hold and wrenched it out of the dwarf, scattering more bones to the floor.

Gideon stomped down and the dwarf staggered back from the impact, and toppled to the ground.

<ooc> My guess is this provokes an attack of opportunity, methinks...</ooc>

Fafnir saw his opportunity despite the wounds he had gained, and took it. When the creature fell flat, he dashed in and took another swipe at the monster. He only hoped that his blade would use its magic and strike true to end this unholy dwarf.

Logged

Those who walk the shadows, tread a very narrow path between darkness and light. This path will reveal all.

Balin felt helpless. This was obviously a champion of his kin, and most likely from a time when heroes were needed. He had been buried with honors that any dwarf would dream of. Balin could not bring himself to destroy it, as though his first two blasts had done anything. His companions had to defend themselves but he would find only remorse were he to destroy this warrior. So he just stood there, with his wand outstretched, doing nothing.

Logged

Ph'nglui mglwnafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.

(\__/) This is The Bunny.(='.'=) Add him to your signature like me(")_(") to further his world domination.

The dwarf, still on the ground, lashed his hammer out at Gideon's foot, but the half-ogre lifted it in time, leaving the hammer striking naught but air. Fafnir brought his scimitar down on the prone dwarf, slamming down hard on his breastplate. Again, his weapon channeled the supernatural cold to his hand, but only briefly.

Jhoric blasted the dwarf again, his prone form making an easy target, and the blast caught the dwarf full in the helmet. A flash of purple was answered by a brilliant white flash and a shower of bone fragments blew out of the openings of the helmet. A moment later, an empty helmet fell free from the rest of the dwarf and the bones slumped into a pile. A pale grey mist emerged from the helmet, pooled a few feet above into a vaguely humanoid form, then faded into dark.

Toboran stepped over, and pulled his spear from the dwarf's ribcage, bracing for cold that did not come.

"Are we almost done here?" He asked, and looked around. The heads, they were becoming more trouble than they seemed to be worth. And the rest of the crew was proving invaluable, which meant, in Jhoric's mind, that he knew who would be tossed back into the pile of corpses if it had to choose between them.

"Heads, what are your names? And, you're going to have to start helping out if you want me to keep carrying you."

"Shame on you, dead dwarf! Is this a way to welcome visitors?" Gideon chided the corpse. "But we'll put you to rest... darn, where is a priestess when you need one!" Truth be said, he needed Rajani for more. Guidance - and that mellow gloomy smile.

He manned up, though, and pointed to Jhoric: "You sort it out with Dead and Deader, we bury this restless fellow, and then look for the iron we came for, and get the boat moving!"

Logged

"Captain, the buttocks are moving from the pink into the red and purple spectrum! We cannot maintain this rate of spanking any longer!"

"Ugh. I'm glad that's over. I'll side with Gideon on his plans, though I don't care to bury these bones. They'll have plenty of their kin to rest among and I'd not touch a pile of something that has already gotten up from burial before."

Logged

"And how can man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers, or the temples of his gods."